Embodiments of the invention generally relate to the field of computer programs and systems and specifically to the field of product design and simulation. A number of existing product and simulation systems are offered on the market for the design and simulation of parts or assemblies of parts. Such systems typically employ computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided engineering (CAE) programs. These systems allow a user to construct, manipulate, and simulate complex three-dimensional models of objects or assemblies of objects. These CAD and CAE systems, thus, provide a representation of modeled objects using edges or lines, in certain cases with faces. Lines, edges, faces, or polygons may be represented in various manners, e.g., non-uniform rational basis-splines (NURBS).
These CAD systems manage parts of assemblies of parts of modeled objects, which are mainly specifications of geometry. In particular, CAD files contain specifications, from which geometry is generated. From geometry, a representation is generated. Specifications, geometries, and representations may be stored in a single CAD file or multiple CAD files. CAD systems include graphic tools for representing the modeled objects to designers; these tools are dedicated to the display of complex objects. For example, an assembly may contain thousands of parts.
The advent of CAD and CAE systems allows for a wide range of representation possibilities for objects. One such representation is a finite element analysis (FEA) model. The terms FEA model, finite element model (FEM), finite element mesh, and mesh are used interchangeably herein. A FEM typically represents a CAD model, and thus, may represent one or more parts or an entire assembly. A FEM is a system of points called nodes which are interconnected to make a grid, referred to as a mesh. Thus, a FEM can be represented by vertices, edges, and/or faces. The FEM (including vertices, edges, and faces) may be programmed in such a way that the FEM has the properties of the underlying object or objects that it represents. Additional information can be stored for each entity of the FEM to refine the description. For example, a finite element model may be programmed according to principles known in the art to have the structural properties, e.g. the mass, weight, and stiffness of the object that it represents. Further, a FEM can include information such as the attraction of various entities of the FEM and tags for identification. When a FEM or other such object representation as is known in the art is programmed in such a way, it may be used to perform simulations of the object that it represents. For example, a FEM may be used to represent the interior cavity of a vehicle, the acoustic fluid surrounding a structure, and any number of real-world objects. Moreover, CAD and CAE systems along with FEMs can be utilized to simulate engineering systems. For example, CAE systems can be employed to simulate noise and vibration of vehicles.